Boy, 7, becomes youngest ever Brit to climb highest mountain in Greece | UK News

This little mountaineer is already an absolute machine – and he’s just become the youngest ever Brit to climb Greece’s highest mountain.

Frankie McMillan started scaling peaks when he was just three years old with his mum Basia McMillan, 39.

Since getting him into hiking as a toddler, he has been to all 214 of the Lake District’s peaks, known as Wainwrights.

At the age of four, he reached the top of Scaffell Pike.

And now, aged just seven, he has successfully taken on Mount Olympus, which is not only known for being the home of the Greek gods in mythology, but also the nation’s tallest mountain.

Frankie’s latest trek saw him reach the 9,573ft (2,918m) summit on September 2 after two days of making his way to the top with his mum and a local guide.

They descended the following day.

Basia spent months exchanging emails and phone calls with the hike organisers and had to convince them Frankie would be able to reach the top.

Frankie, from Gosforth, Cumbria, said: ‘I’m very proud of myself, it was the highest I have ever been before.

‘My favourite thing about climbing is spending time with my family, getting outdoors, looking at the views and finding treasure, but most of all I like the rock-climbing parts.

‘I would like to go to the top of Mount Everest, but I am too small, so maybe I can go up Rainbow Mountain in Peru or Toubkal in Morocco, or Everest Base Camp if my mum lets me.

‘My friends at school think that I am amazing. They watched me on TV and congratulated me.

‘They don’t like climbing mountains as much as me because their legs get tired, but I love it.’

Basia, who also works as a mountain guide herself, said: ‘I was a little bit worried about him making it. 

‘But he just made me proud – there wasn’t a second where he complained or wanted to rest – if anything he was better than me.

‘He was just drinking in the experience – at times even the guide had to tell him to slow down. He did very, very well.

‘It is so special – since he was small, I’ve always told him one day he will move the mountains.

‘I knew he’d be able to do it, of course I was worried, and you never know for sure, but when we got to the top, I was so proud.

‘It was a very joyful experience to see him touching the top after all the planning and worries.’

Basia’s day job sees her taking people to the peaks of the Lake District and she says Frankie has always had an interest in joining her.

She said: ‘Frankie would always see me walking up and down and he always wanted to come with me so when he was three, I took him up.

‘And he did it himself, I thought he would just turn back but he made it all the way to the top and since then he’s been asking for more and more.

‘He wanted to go and play football after we climbed Scafell Pike.’

The final ascent of Mount Olympus is very ‘technical’ but Basia says that’s what Frankie was most excited about.

She said: ‘We tried to find something as high as possible but within the limit. 2,500 metres is considered a good starter altitude for a hike.

‘It was as high as we could go at this age and Frankie really likes the technical parts of rock climbing.

‘On the last kilometre it’s very technical on Olympus and he was very excited about that part as it’s pretty much a vertical ascent using your ropes.’

Now that Olympus has been ticked off, Frankie has his eyes set on Mount Toubkal in Morocco – with an ultimate dream of one day conquering Everest.

Basia added: ‘He was asking when the next school break is for his next adventure.

‘And he’s made a list of where he wants to go, Morocco, Nepal, Peru and Ecuador.

‘So, it’ll either be Morocco in November or waiting until April and trying Mount Everest base camp. That’s a 15 day walk.

‘I think he’s proved that he will be able to do it but I really think that technically he will be able to do it and that’ll be the closest to his dream – so we’ll see.’

Frankie and Basia have been raising money for Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team and have so far raised £2,492 of their £3,000 target.

Last month, a seven-year-old girl became the youngest in the UK to be fitted with a bionic Hero Arm.

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